Why play is important for children in the early years

There’s been lots of research suggesting that children’s play is under threat and becoming more restricted. Play England’s ten-year strategy, which was launched earlier this year, found that children now have considerably less freedom to play than older generations.

Play England found that just over a quarter of children were able to play on the street and were free to roam, dramatically less than older generations. For instance, four-fifths of 55 to 60-year-olds reported that they were able to do these things when they were children. Play England also highlighted that children’s play has become “more structured, screen-based and contained” and that there has been a decline in children socialising out of home or playing outside.

These findings are sobering and need further attention. However, they contrast with what happens in early years settings on a daily basis where play really does rule the day.

Play in the early years

Educators in the early years need no introduction to play. “It is embedded in every aspect of the early years” says Dr Helen Edwards, co-founder of Tapestry and former nursery owner, “Educators are skilled in being able to see the subtle changes in a child’s play which tell us about their development. They can then use their professional judgement to consider the resources and support the child needs to take the next step. It is not straightforward!”

As well as play’s key role within an early years setting, there is also a great deal that educators do to support families to play with their children. For instance, the Tapestry survey 2025 found that 80% of settings said they provided ideas and resources to parents and carers. The most popular approaches were:

• Using an online journal to share ideas
• Modelling play in class with children
• Sharing a regular newsletter with ideas and resources for play at home

The survey also found that more than two-fifths of early years educators provided a resources lending library and a quarter provided workshops for families to help support play at home. However, far fewer (just 15%) created videos with ideas for play at home.

We feel that video has the potential to be a useful tool for sharing play ideas, particularly as it shows rather than tells parents and carers. For instance, a clip showing how a child plays with cardboard tubes could communicate a great deal without lots of written instructions. Videos can also help to reduce barriers for families with English as an Additional Language (EAL), or for families where a parent or carer works long hours and cannot pop into the setting very often.

Taking the early years into school

When children leave the Early Years Foundation Stage at five years old, they also leave its principle of learning through play. Many feel this is a missed opportunity. Amber Ogunsanya- William (aka PlayworkerAmber) works closely with primary schools and has seen first-hand how effective it is to embed play into the curriculum. She explains: “Teachers consistently report that play-based approaches foster significant improvements in critical thinking, academic achievement, and overall learner engagement. For example, in history, just imagine children playfully recreating historical events. Suddenly, that list of dates and names evolves into a living, breathing story they fully immerse themselves in, improving their conceptual understanding and communication skills.”

This is why Tapestry has partnered with Amber to help create a short animation celebrating play for schools and settings to share with their families. We hope the animation and the free downloadable resource that goes with it will support families with fun play at home.

Hopes for a more playful future

The findings from our survey show that early years educators play an important role in helping to champion and encourage play at home. They’re helping to bridge the gap between home and setting, and hopefully inspiring families to make more play a part of everyday life. If settings, families, and communities work together to open up spaces, share ideas, and champion the right to play, we can hopefully reverse the trend of increasingly contained play.

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